Body armor basics

We often get a lot of questions from people who are first time purchasers or users of body armor about what they need or just the products in general. Hopefully we can address a few of those common questions here.

The basics of what you need

The first question we often get asked is “is this body armor” or “is this vest bullet proof”. Usually folks ask this when looking at one of our plate carriers. Most plate carriers do not have any ballistic resistance by themselves and need either hard plates, or soft armor.

At a minimum this means you need a plate carrier and at least one plate of armor to get any protection out of the product. Ideally you want to have 2 plates to balance the weight of your gear and give yourself better coverage.

Some carriers will have some protection level included into them, but be sure to check their rating level and verify that they are certified for that level of protection.

What level of resistance do you need?

The next question is often “what does this stop” or “This is bullet proof?” . The first thing to remember is that nothing is bullet proof, only bullet resistant to a certain tested level. What this means is that the manufacturers of the armor go through and test a set number of their armor to meet a standard level of resistance. That resistance is a set number of hits within a certain area from a specific caliber. That sets the baseline of what the armor should perform in the field. Based on that you can find the armor that should meet the job you need. Often armor is refered to with the NIJ standard of armor protection it provides. That standard is to rate armor based on it’s type from type 1 to type 4. Take a look at the following chart to get an idea of the various protection levels.

As you can guess the higher the protection the more expensive the plate is usually. However technology has been advancing and newer tech plates are coming to market at lower prices. Be sure to get a plate that has been certified for a specific rating as well. We have seen vendors who simply make their own system and never get it tested, and claim it to be of a certain level. If the manufacturer doesn’t have a certified solution, it’s a sign it might not hold up to what they say. An exception to this rule would be custom made clothing, such as suits, and jackets as each piece will be uniquely different.

Basic care and understanding of your system

Knowing how your armor works is key to understanding what it can take and caring for it as well. For example some plates are only rated to a specific level if they are used with a carrier or soft plate of a specific level as well. These are referred to as in-conjunction plates, and are hard armor and soft armor combined to make a single solution. Most soft armor solutions are made from Kevlar and have a limited useable life before the fibers break down, as well as specific care needs so as not to damage those fibers.

Each product will have specific care needs and maintenance needed. However you can take these as general things to keep in mind:

Keep your system dry. Water will break down Kevlar fibers over time and lower your protection level.

If your system gets wet try and let it dry out before using it again. This will prevent mold from forming and further reduce wear on the fibers.

Follow cleaning instructions to the letter!! Many people ruin a new armor system by not taking care of cleaning them, such as washing a carrier with the soft plates still inside of it.

Avoid dropping or rough handling of hard plates! Many of these are made of ceramic, and while capable of stopping a bullet are very fragile. A drop onto the hard ground can crack the plate on the inside and ruin it’s ability to stop a bullet.

Legality to own

This is probably the last question we get when folks are buying their armor… or sometimes the first. People are surprised that they can legally own body armor in most places. Notice the keyword there, MOST places. While our state and many around us allows us to own and sell them to civilians, there are some states that only allow law enforcement to have them. This is why you will see some vendors only sell them to military or law enforcement, or require a statement from your local law enforcement that you can have them in your possession.

Our stance on the issue has been that you should research your local and state laws to make sure that they are legal for you to own, and use. We prefer to be able to sell to anyone and believe our customers will be responsible enough to use armor solutions correctly and not for illegal purposes. Everyone should have a basic right to protect themselves, be it offensively or defensively with armor solutions.

Always check the laws before purchasing any armor solution, and take care in what you do when wearing armor, as any crime committed with armor on will have higher penalties.

Check with your local and state law enforcement on the legality of owning body armor in your state before purchasing any solution as a civilian.